For a stretch this year, outfielder Khalil Watson was one of the precious few hitters contributing consistently to the Cleveland Guardians. He was called up in mid-June, a few days after the team learned that it would be without Angel Martinez, Chase DeLauter, and Jose Ramirez for the foreseeable future.
Watson opened his MLB career with a rough four-game stretch in which he went hitless in his first 12 trips to the plate. After that, he bounced back to hit .263/.282/.395 in June, including a seven-game stretch from the 22nd to the 29th in which he slashed .435/.458/.652 with two doubles, a homer, and a couple of stolen bases.
The league eventually adjusted, and Watson was sent down to Triple-A, but he remains a big part of the future. His offseason plans, however, were just hit by a setback.
“Kahlil Watson underwent surgery on Tuesday for a bilateral core muscle injury. 8-12-week timeline,” Guardians insider Tim Stebbins reported on Thursday.
Kahlil Watson underwent surgery Tuesday for a bilateral core muscle injury. 8-12 week timeline
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) October 22, 2026
The most important takeaway from this is that Watson will have a full offseason to rest, recover, and rehab his injury. However, there could be complications with his rehabilitation if there’s a lockout in place starting in December.
If the league locks players out, there can’t be any communication between rehabbing players like Watson and the organization’s medical staff. Additionally, team training and rehab facilities can’t be used at any time.
In any case, the team and the player will need to come up with solutions before December rolls around, because the likelihood of a lockout is almost 100 percent. Luckily for Watson, he will already have spent a few weeks of rehabilitation when that time comes.
Watson hit .239/.264/.341 with a 67 wRC+ in 91 plate appearances for Cleveland this year, plus a solid .247/.361/.455 (116 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 442 trips to the plate in Triple-A Columbus. He has some power and speed, and knows how to work a walk. Strikeouts are an issue, though.
With Steven Kwan and Jo Adell entering the last year of their contracts with the Guardians, Watson has a big chance ahead of him in 2027. It could be the season where he puts himself on the map again, cementing his place in the organization’s future.
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